Wire-stretcher



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

13.48. MULLINAX.

WIRE STRETGHER.

WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENT ELI STEPHENS MULLINAX, OF GANADO, TEXAS.

WlRE-STRETCHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part ofLetters Patent No. 331,727, dated December 1, 1885.

I Application filed July 21, 1885. Serial No. 172,220. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, E. S. MULLINAX, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Ganado, in the county of Jackson and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in WVire-Stretchers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawing-s, which form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure l is a perspective view of a portion of a wire fence, showing my improved fencewire tightener in operation. Fig. 2 is a top view of the stretcher. Figs. 3 and 4 are side views of the same. Fig. 5 is a perspective detail view of the wire-clamp, and Fig.6 is a perspective view showing my improved wirestretcher as used when connecting the ends of a broken wire between two posts.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

My invention has relation to that class of wire-stretchers in which one wire is stretched at the time; and it consists in the improved construction and combination of parts of a machine, which is especially adapted to draw the ends of a broken wire or two ends of wire together for the purpose of uniting them by splicing or other means, as hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, the letter A indicates the frame of the stretcher, which consists of two forked portions, B and G, placed at right angles to each other with their united ends together, and the outer ends of the forward forked portion, B, are formed with transverse hearings or perforations, while the rearwardlyprojecting ends F of the rear forked portion, 0, are hooked. A bolt, G, passes through the perforations in the ends of the forward portion of the frame, and a drum, 1, turns upon this bolt, and has a ratchetwheel, J, at one end. The slotted inner end, K, of a lever, L. slides with its slot upon the round portion of the bolt immediately above the ratchet-wheel, as shown, and the inner side of the lever is provided with a shoulder, M, having a number of ratchet-teeth, N, corresponding in size and shape to the teeth of the ratchetwheel and fitting into the same. A pawl, O, is pivoted to part B, and engages the ratchet-wheel, and has arearwardly-extending handle or thumb-piece, P, by means of which the engaging end may be raised out of the engagement with the teeth, the weight of the thumb-piece serving to force the pawl to engage the teeth of the wheel, as in Fig. 2. The upper face of the inner end of the forward forked piece has a transverse groove, Q, near its inner end, and a cam-lever, R, is pivoted upon the side of the united portion of the forked parts, and has abeveled and rounded lower end, S, fitting in the guidegroove Q, and a serrated shoulder, T, adapted to bear against the upper side of the forward forked portion when the upwardlyprojecting handle of the camlever is raised or elevated for the purpose of binding the end of a wire between the serrated shoulder T and the upper side of the frame of the stretcher, for the purpose which will be hereinafter fully described. Theend of a cord or chain, U, is secured in an eye, V, formed upon the drum, and winds upon the drum, and to the outer free end of this cord or chain is attached a wireclamp, W, which consists of a body portion, X, one end of which has an eye, Y, formed therein, to adapt it to be secured to the cord or chain U, while one side of the body portion has a longitudinal groove, Z, formed near one edge. The other edge of the grooved side of the body portion is formed with an outwardly-extend ing lip or fiange,A, through which passes the pivotal bolt B ofthe cam-lever O. This camlever consists of a handle or thumb-piece, D, a cam end, E, which serves as a guide and fits within the longitudinal guide-groove Z and a serrated shoulder, F, which bears against the side of the body portion X, between the project-ing lip or flange A and the guide'groove Z, and it will be seen that when the end of a wire has been placed between the serrated shoulder F and the side or body of the clamp, and the handle D is elevated, so as to cause the cam end B to enter the guide groove Z, the wire will be clamped firmly between the said serrated shoulder F and the body of the clamp, so as effectually to prevent it from being drawn out at the front end of the clamping device.

The manner in which my improved device is operated to secure the end of a wire to a fence-post is as follows: The arms 0 O are placed partially surrounding the post,as shown in Fig. 1 cf the drawings, and a wire is secured to therear hooked ends of the said arms, as shown, thercbyholding the stretcher firmly against the post. cud of the cord or chain U is then clamped to the end of the wire, as shown, when the said end may be drawn toward the post by rocking the ratchet-lever L, allowing it to engage the teeth of the ratchet-wheel Jon its back stroke, the longitudinal slot at the inner end of the said lever allowing it to pass over the teeth on the forward stroke, the drum being thus revolved by the ratchet-wheel and lever, and.

thus winding up the cord or chain U.

\Vheu a strand or wire of a wire fence becomes broken and it is desired to draw the two severed ends toward each other to enable them to be twisted together, one of the said ends is clamped between theserrated shoulder T of thewireclamp R (pivoted to the side of the main frame, as previously described) and the upper side of the frame of the stretcher, when it will be seen that the said lever, operating like the cam-lever C, will prevent the wire thus clamped from slipping out backward. The other end of the broken wire is then clamped in the wire-clamp XV, and the ends of the broken wire are drawn together by operating the ratchet-lever L, as previously described, until the ends of the wire projecting between the two clamps may be conveniently united, as will bereadily understood.

The construction and manner in which the clamp R on the side of the stretcher operates is clearly illustrated in Fig. 6 of the drawings.

It will be seen that the stretcher consists of few parts, is strong and compact, and will serve as well 'to draw the ends of wires toward the posts to be secured as to draw the ends of two wires to be united.

I am aware that wire-tightcners have been heretofore. constructed comprising a frame having two hooks at its rear end to adapt it to be secured to a post by means of a chain or cord connected at its ends to the said hooks and passing around the post; and I am also aware it is old to construct a wire-tightener with a lever carrying an integrallyformed pawl and having its lower or inner end slotted so that the pawl can engage and be disengaged from a ratchet-wheel integral or rigidly se The wire-clamp NV at the' cured to the end'of a drum on which is wound the cord having at its outer end the wireclamp, and I do not therefore claim such con struction, broadly; but

\Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a wire-stretcher, the combination of a frame consisting of two forked portions secured'to each other at their inner ends at right angles, and having the ends of the rear portion hooked and of the forward portion formed with transverse perforations, a bolt passing through the perforated forward ends of the frame, a drum turning upon the bolt and having a ratchet-wheel at one end, a pawl pivoted upon the frame and engaging the teeth of the ratchet-wheel, av lever having a longitudinal slotat its inner end sliding upon the bolt and having a shoulder provided with ratchet teet-h meshing with the teeth of the wheel, and a cord or chain secured to the drum and winding upon the same, provided with a wire-clamp at its free end, as and for the purpose shownand set forth.

2. In a wire-stretcher, the combination of a frame having two forked portions at right angles to each other, the ends of the rear fork being hooked and the ends of the forward fork being provided with transverse perforations, a bolt passing through the perforations, a drum turning upon the bolt and having a ratchetwheel at one end, a lever having a longitudinal slot at its inner end sliding upon the bolt and having a shoulder formed with ratchetteeth corresponding to and meshing with the teeth of the wheel, a pawl having a thumbpieee and engaging the ratchet-wheel pivoted upon the under-side of the frame, a cord or chain secured at one end to the drum and having a wire-clamp at its free end, and a wireclamp pivoted at the upper side of the frame, and consisting of a cam-lever having a serrated shoulder, and a lower cam end projecting into a transverse groove in the upper side of the frame at the inner end of the forward fork, as and for the purpose shown and set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereunto affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ELI. STEPHENS MULLINAX. XVitne'ssesz g T. W'. HEARD, JOHN EARLE. 

